Making of a Creative City as a Viable Service System

The concept of a creative city has been influential for decades, yet its definition remains elusive, hindering the development of effective strategies for urban revitalization. This study addresses this challenge by reframing the creative city as a complex service system. This perspective emphasizes the intricate interplay between diverse actors, resources, and processes that contribute to the city's cultural and economic vibrancy. Focusing on Bandung, Indonesia, the research utilizes a cultural mode of production model to assess the city's cultural assets. This framework considers the interconnectedness of cultural production, consumption, and distribution, recognizing the crucial role of both formal and informal networks. Employing a mixed-methods approach that combines in-depth interviews with netnography analysis, the study aims to develop a nuanced understanding of Bandung's creative ecosystem, propose a framework for assessing the "culture" variable, and identify key actors and their roles within the service system. Apart from that, this research contributes to the existing literature by providing a more robust and nuanced understanding of the creative city concept, offering a valuable framework for practitioners and policymakers seeking to foster sustainable urban development. Consequently, this study of Bandung empirically developed a framework for assessing the city's cultural assets by mapping the links between cultural production, consumption, and distribution and identifying key actors within both formal and informal networks. This framework offers a valuable tool for policymakers and practitioners.